History & Awards

Nidus’ History

Nidus was incorporated in 1995. Nidus is a non-profit charitable organization that was founded by citizens and community groups who were involved in the community-based reform of BC’s adult guardianship legislation, and most notably, the development of the RA Act.

Nidus is a resource on Representation Agreements and related legal planning documents available in BC. Nidus is considered the centre of excellence on education and best practices in the field of personal planning (also referred to as “advance care planning”).

Founding groups of the resource centre include the Alzheimer Society of BC, the BC Association for Community Living (now Inclusion BC), the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities (now Disability Alliance BC), and the Council of Senior Citizens Organizations of BC.

Nidus has developed unique expertise on the creation and use of Representation Agreements as it has been informed by grass-roots users and their lived experiences. While other groups are engaged in promoting the making of Representation Agreements, Nidus remains the trusted expert resource on additional aspects of legal planning including revocation, resignation, duties of those appointed/named, scope of authority, tips for keeping the original and distributing copies and communicating changes (such as change of address, legal name change).

Nidus Registry

The Nidus Registry was originally established by the Nidus Resource Centre Association in 2002 as an online Registry service in partnership with Juricert (a subsidiary of the Law Society of BC) and a local software company.

Individuals can self-register legal personal planning and estate planning documents. Authorized law firms and notary public firms (called Registration Agents) can register on behalf of clients.

The Registry is designed for self-management – registrants can login to add registrations and to update information such as the location of originals. Wallet cards confirm registration and provide key information to those authorized for emergency access.

The benefits of the Nidus Registry include the ability to locate plans that individuals have made (avoids time and effort rifling through drawers, cupboards, boxes). The Nidus Registry is also a catalyst for initiating discussions about making legal plans and wishes. The aging of the population makes this a timely issue.

The Nidus Registry has expanded to securely store all types of important information and documents (e.g. medication charts, allergies, insurance policies, prescriptions) that might be needed in a health crisis or other emergency.

It is used by institutions like Health Authorities, banks and credit unions, and the B.C. Public Guardian and Trustee.

The Nidus Registry has evolved due to public demand. It remains on the forefront of innovation as a repository of crucial information and is consistent with the principal of self-determination.

Awards and Recognition

Nidus is regularly consulted by academics and others interested in legislative reform worldwide.

In 2012, Nidus and the RA Act were recognized at the International Conference on Good Policies for Persons with Disabilities in Vienna, Austria.

Nidus has also been invited to present on the RA Act and especially the RA7 at conferences and meetings: 4^th Annual international Conference on Adult Guardianship in Berlin; webinar at meeting of Public Guardians of Australia; Conference on Supported Decision Making in Seoul, South Korea with special guests from Japan; Conference on Supported Decision Making in Kyoto, Japan.